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Salome with the Head of John the Baptist
About the Artwork
The Utrecht artist Nicolaes Knupfer was known for depicting powerful women who outsmarted or overpowered men. This drawing, probably a study for a painting, depicts the New Testament story of Salome, who was granted a wish by King Herod after dancing for him. Encouraged by her mother, Herodias, Salome asked for the head of John the Baptist, against whom Herodias bore a grudge for objecting to her marriage to the king. The scene shows the theatrical moment after the beheading, when a stoic Salome holds a salver to receive the head.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Nicolaus Knupfer (Dutch, 1603–1655)
- Date
- c. 1650
- Medium
- pen and brown ink, brown washes and white heightening (oxidized), over black chalk on antique laid paper; framing lines in pen and brown ink
- Dimensions
- Support: 50.3 x 38.7 cm (19 13/16 x 15 1/4 in.); Matted: 53 x 39.5 x 0.6 cm (20 7/8 x 15 9/16 x 1/4 in.); Image: 33.5 x 27.8 cm (13 3/16 x 10 15/16 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 2019.8
Provenance
March 29, 2015: Christie's, Paris, France Private Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands March 4, 2019: the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
More by Nicolaus Knupfer in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00011303
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